OAKLAND, Calif. – The family of a teenage girl who was declared “brain dead” by doctors last year following a tonsillectomy and other throat and nasal procedures claims that the child has regained brain activity and seeks a court ruling reversing her declaration of death.As previously reported, the matter centers around 13-year-old Jahi McMath, who underwent an operation at Children’s Hospital and Research Center in December, as doctors had recommended the operation to help alleviate her sleep apnea, irregular weight gain and urination issues.But her uncle, Omari Sealey, said that the girl was apprehensive even before going under the knife.“The worst thing about all of this is that Jahi told my sister, ‘I don’t want to get this surgery; something bad is going to happen. I’m not going to wake up,’” he told CNN.

McMath reportedly asked for a Popsicle following the procedure, advising that her throat hurt. But soon after, the girl’s family knew that something was terribly wrong.“When she got moved to ICU, there was a 30-minute wait until any family member could go see her,” her grandmother, Sandy Chapman, told reporters. “Upon entry, they saw that there was way too much blood.”“She had to have four blood transfusions. She had two liters of blood pumped out of her lungs, not including what was in her stomach,” she continued. “There was an enormous amount of blood, and we kept asking, ‘Is this normal?’ Some nurses said, ‘I don’t know,’ and some said, ‘Yes.’ There was a lot of uncertainty and a lack of urgency.”

When McMath’s oxygen levels then began to fall dangerously low, Chapman called for help. The girl later went into cardiac arrest and was declared brain dead. Days later, doctors pronounced her legally dead and sought to take her off life support.McMath’s family has been fighting the matter in court ever since. Natasha Winkfield, McMath’s mother, reached an agreement with Children’s Hospital and Research Center, to allow the girl to be transferred out of the hospital. She has been receiving care at an undisclosed location ever since.But the family says that McMath has made improvements as her MRI shows neurological activity, and that the girl is able to respond to commands. As her body is also functioning, including the onset of puberty, McMath’s family is asking the court to overturn its ruling declaring the girl brain dead.“This court, having made such a determination, must consider the change in circumstances presented by plaintiff’s evidence which shows Jahi’s condition is now one in which Jahi now has brain function,” a petition to the court states. “There is simply no case, other than Jahi McMath, where a pediatric patient has been diagnosed as brain dead but has continued to receive medical treatment and survived this long.”International Brain Research Foundation CEO Phil Defina, PhD, and neurologist Calixto Machado spoke at a press conference about the matter on Friday, and video footage was played for the media showing McMath responding to simple requests.“It took me some months to fight with [the decision to conduct further brain scans], because if she doesn’t [show signs of brain activity], what will I do?” Winkfield stated at the event. “But I knew because I’m her mother, and I talk to her and she responds. . . . I will never give up on her.”

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself prays for us with groans that words cannot express. Romans 8:26When we are alone, when our private terrors have left us without the ability to speak, when even the simplest of prayers ["Help!"] is more that our weary hearts can muster - those are the times we need God's Spirit most of all.It is life itself to know that God pays attention to us. The Spirit of the Living God is with us and is attentive to our weakness. God does not shame us for our weakness. Our weakness is not a bad thing to God. Our weakness is simply a reality. The Spirit's response to our weakness is to help us. God is on our side. The Spirit knows us and loves us. God knows the pain that crushes us. God helps us in our weakness.In those moments when we have been silenced by life, the Spirit prays for us. The Spirit prays with groans for which there is no language. When we are not able to pray we can find comfort and hope in the promise that the Spirit is praying for us.Oh GodI need to be reminded when I feel so absolutely alonethat you know my pain,you know my weakness.When I come to the end of words,when my mind is full of confusion,help me to remember that you pray for me.When I am overwhelmed with despair,when I want to give up,when I want to run away in fear,it is only your presence,gentle, powerful Friend,that gives me hope and strength.I need your help today.I need you to pray for me.AmenCopyright Dale and Juanita RyanNational Association for Christian Recovery

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”

Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘People do not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:

“‘He will command his angels concerning you,

and they will lift you up in their hands,

so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”

Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”

Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’”

Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.

Read Matthew 4:1-11 for this story

COMMENT

Here the Son stands alone, embattled in the wilderness. There are no disciples yet—at least not with him—and all communities are left behind. He stands before the Tempter without human companionship.

There is a time for such trials. We seek, in this season, to celebrate friendship, the Kingdom community, but we do not thereby ignore necessary solitudes. There are times we stand naked before God, and there are other times we stand naked before Satan; even our Jesus followed Moses and Elijah and John into the empty wilderness. But even our Jesus needed restoration to community; “angels came and attended him.”

PRAYER

Eternal God, we have been led by the Spirit to places unfamiliar, to wildernesses barren, to areas uncomfortable and frightening. We are surrounded by temptations; we are hungry; we thirst. We have wondered if truly the Spirit led us, or if it was the devil. Meet us in our desert, we pray, and strengthen us to overcome every sinful craving and temptation, through the power of your Word and the guidance of the Spirit. Amen.

Years ago when I was in the Army I met a very interesting fella. He was 5’8. If he put on every piece of Army gear he owned on he might weigh 150lbs. He had a skinny neck, a largish head and wore Army issue RPG glasses. He worked overnights as a lab-tech at the post hospital. He was also my battle buddy at the Army’s Primary Leadership Development Course (PLDC) at Ft. Campbell Ky. Being the hardcore ultra-hooah infantry soldier I was, I wasn’t all that excited about being assigned a lab-tech as a battle buddy, but that’s just the way it goes sometimes.As part of the requirements of PLDC we had to have an inspection wearing our dress uniforms. The inspection would ensure that we properly knew how to make our boots and badges shiny and set our ribbons the proper distance from each other. When it came time for the inspection my buddy came by to check me and have me check him and I noticed that he was wearing a Bronze Star with a V on it. The Bronze Star is the fourth highest award that a soldier can receive. The V signified that he was awarded this for valor. I didn’t know many infantry soldiers that had Bronze Stars for valor, much less lab techs. I asked him what he did to be awarded the Bronze Star for valor. Here is what he told me.“Before I was a lab-tech I was a combat medic. I served with an armored infantry division during the [first] Gulf War. One day we were moving through the desert when the lead Bradley was suddenly engulfed in flames. When everyone stopped we realized that the lead vehicle had driven into a minefield and hit one.”“When we found out that the men inside were badly injured but alive me and my driver drove our armored ambulance into the minefield to help them. Our commander told us to stop because they didn’t know if this was an ambush. We didn’t stop. We just couldn’t leave them out there to die.”“We drove up next to them and jumped from our ambulance to their Bradley. We bandaged them as best we could and called for a medevac helicopter to come and get them out. Because we were in an unmarked minefield the choppers couldn’t land so they lowered lifelines down and we pulled the injured guys out of the Bradley and onto the lifelines. After everyone was out we rejoined the rest of the company.”I’m not sure what I was expecting, but that wasn’t it. I asked if he was afraid when he did this. His response has always stuck with me. He said, “Yeah, I was terrified. But if we hadn’t went in those guys would have died. We couldn’t just let that happen.” My battle buddy taught me two lessons I hope I never forget.The first is that heroes don’t always look heroic. Sometimes heroes look like Captain America and other times they look like skinny 19 year old kids who are willing to risk their lives to save others.The second is that courage is doing the right thing despite being afraid. Courage isn’t the absence of fear. In fact I would almost go so far as to say that without fear there is no courage. It doesn’t take courage to do something that you’re not afraid of. But to do what needs to be done when you are terrified, that is courage.For further study read Joshua 1:1-9.Why does Joshua assume the mantle of leadership over Israel?What promises does God give him?What does God call on him to do?

A Florida Atlantic University student said he was punished after he refused a professor’s directive to stomp on a piece of paper with the word “Jesus” written on it. The university, meanwhile, is defending the assignment as a lesson in debate.

“I’m not going to be sitting in a class having my religious rights desecrated,” student Ryan Rotela told television station WPEC. “I truly see this as I’m being punished.”Rotela, who is a devout Mormon, said the instructor in his Intercultural Communications class told the students to write the name “Jesus” on a sheet of paper. Then, they were told to put the paper on the floor.“He had us all stand up and he said ‘Stomp on it,’” Rotela said. “I picked up the paper from the floor and put it right back on the table.The young college student told the instructor, Deandre Poole, that the assignment was insulting and offensive.“I said to the professor, ‘With all due respect to your authority as a professor, I do not believe what you told us to do was appropriate,’” Rotela said. ‘I believe it was unprofessional and I was deeply offended by what you told me to do.’”Rotela took his concerns to Poole’s supervisor – where he was promptly suspended from the class.Poole did not return calls seeking comment.According to his university profile, he has a PhD from Howard University and is authoring a book titled, “Obamamania: The Rise of a Mythical Hero.”A university spokesperson told they could not comment about Rotela’s case due to student privacy laws.However, the university is defending the instructor’s assignment to stomp on the name of Jesus.“As with any academic lesson, the exercise was meant to encourage students to view issues from many perspectives, in direct relation with the course objectives,” said Noemi Marin, the university’s director of the school of communication and multimedia studies.“While at times the topics discussed may be sensitive, a university environment is a venue for such dialogue and debate,” Marin added.The lesson on bashing the name of Christ is included in a textbook titled, “Intercultural Communication: A Contextual Approach, 5th Edition.”Fox News obtained a synopsis of the lesson that got Rotela in trouble.“Have the students write the name JESUS in big letters on a piece of paper,” the lesson reads. “Ask the students to stand up and put the paper on the floor in front of them with the name facing up. Ask the students to think about it for a moment. After a brief period of silence instruct them to step on the paper. Most will hesitate. Ask why they can’t step on the paper. Discuss the importance of symbols in culture.”Paul Kengor, the executive director of the Center for Vision and Values at Grove City College, told Fox News he’s not surprised by the classroom lesson.“These are the new secular disciples of ‘diversity’ and ‘tolerance’ – empty buzzwords that make liberals and progressives feel good while they often refuse to tolerate and sometimes even assault traditional Christian and conservative beliefs,” Kengor said.Kengor said classes like the one at Florida Atlantic University demonstrate the contempt many public institutions hold for people of faith.“It also reflects the rising confidence and aggression of the new secularists and atheists, especially at our sick and surreal modern universities,” he said.The university did not explain why students were only instructed to write the name of Jesus – and not the name of Mohammed or another religious figure.“Gee, I wonder if the instructor would dare do this with the name of Mohammed,” Kengor wondered.Rotela said the idea of stomping on the name of Jesus was beyond his comprehension.“Any time you stomp on something it shows you believe that it has no value,” he told the television station. “If you were to stomp on the word Jesus – it says the word has no value.”

Tom Brown’s School Days(free on kindle)was a popular nineteenth-century novel that followed eleven-year-old Tom Brown, as he adjusted to life at a public boarding school for boys and learned how to become a young gentleman. The following excerpt introduces an account of Tom’s only big fight at the school. The headmaster had given him a student to look after, and when a large bully attacked the frail and sensitive boy, Tom stepped in to stop the beating and fight the bully himself.FightingFrom Tom Brown’s School Days, 1857By Thomas HughesLet those young persons whose stomachs are not strong, or who think a good set-to with the weapons which God has given to us all an uncivilized, unchristian, or ungentlemanly affair, just skip this chapter at once, for it won’t be to their taste.It was not at all usual in those days for two schoolhouse boys to have a fight. Of course, there were exceptions, when some cross-grained, hard-headed fellow came up who would never be happy unless he was quarreling with his nearest neighbors, or when there was some class dispute between the fifth form and the fags, for instance, which required bloodletting; and a champion was picked out on each side tacitly, who settled the matter by a good, hearty mill. But for the most part the constant use of those surest keepers of the peace, the boxing-gloves, kept the schoolhouse boys from fighting one another. Two or three nights in every week the gloves were brought out, either in the hall or fifth-form room; and every boy who was ever likely to fight at all knew all his neighbors’ prowess perfectly well, and could tell to a nicety what chance he would have in a stand-up fight with any other boy in the house. But of course no such experience could be gotten as regarded boys in other houses; and as most of the other houses were more or less jealous of the schoolhouse, collisions were frequent.After all, what would life be without fighting, I should like to know? From the cradle to the grave, fighting, rightly understood, is the business, the real, highest, honestest business of every son of man. Every one who is worth his salt has his enemies, who must be beaten, be they evil thoughts and habits in himself or spiritual wickedness in high places, or Russians, or Border-ruffians, or Bill, Tom, or Harry, who will not let him live his life in quiet till he has thrashed them.It is no good for Quakers, or any other body of men, to uplift their voices against fighting. Human nature is too strong for them, and they don’t follow their own precepts. Every soul of them is doing his own piece of fighting, somehow and somewhere. The world might be a better world without fighting, for anything I know, but it wouldn’t be our world; and therefore I am dead against crying peace when there is no peace, and isn’t meant to be. I’m as sorry as any man to see folk fighting the wrong people and the wrong things, but I’d a deal sooner see them doing that, than that they should have no fight in them.

A common problem that men have is how to handle it when a coworker has pornography at work. This is a very touchy issue.

What do you do when men are gathered around on the work site looking at pictures of naked women?

If a guy doesn't participate, he is "hen-pecked" or "gay" or.... The name calling starts and the accusations fly if a guy isn't "one of the guys." He's not a "team player." What's a man to do in these situations? After all, he has a reputation to protect.

Reputation is the key word in this story. Reputation is the answer. Jesus took His reputation and laid it all on the line for us so that we could have strength in times like this. Jesus could have been satisfied to leave things the way they were and stayed in heaven. However, He put aside His reputation, His Deity, to become like us. He risked, knowing that His Father would take care of His reputation.

Like yesterday's post, honesty is needed. Asking God for strength to be vulnerable and transparent is how you handle porn at work. Have the gumption to step up and tell your coworkers why looking at porn is not healthy. Let them know that there is much more to a woman than just what she does to make a man feel sexual.

You know what will happen if you take this step? Like Jesus, you may be crucified. I don't mean that these guys will string you up and kill you but they will belittle you. They will tell you that you are not a real man. They will tease you because they want you to participate in their sinfulness.

You know what else will happen? There will always be at least one guy who agrees with you. He may not publicly, but he will at least come to you privately or at least not join in when the teasing starts.

If you stick to your integrity and respect women, you will make a statement. You will only have to say it once. Your statement will have an impact. If you never participate with them in objectifying women from that point on, God's Holy Spirit will work on these men. They will watch you. So, if you have integrity in everything you do at work, they will see it and they will change.

What do you do when you are placed in a situation where you feel trapped?

I knew a guy who, like many men, had a desire to look at scantily clad, attractive women. He used to be an avid fan of Playboy magazine but as he grew in his personal relationship with Christ, he came to respect women more and was able to not spend his time obsessing about women as sex objects.

He had a good childhood friend that lived cross-country and his friend invited him to spend a week with him. His friend had a small one-bedroom apartment with a very small spare room where his friend kept his book collection. This man was to sleep in this small spare room during his visit. As he was laying there, on the couch in this small room, he started to observe the books and magazines that were in this collection. Some books were classics, some contemporary spy thrillers, and some books about military history.

Next, his eyes glanced at the magazine collection. What he didn't know about his friend is that his friend collected Playboy magazines. He had almost every issue over the previous 10 years. They were catalogued and displayed quite prominently. As he lay there trying to sleep, his mind kept wandering back to the Playboy collection that was within his reach. His mind thought back to the images that were in his mind from his previous experience with Playboy. His heart was pounding in his ears and his mind said, "it's OK to look at them. You won't be here but just a few nights. It's not like they belong to you."

What would you do? Your character determines how you will handle this situation. Your true character shows when no one is looking.

Fortunately, this man did the right thing. He woke his friend up and they had a conversation about Playboy. Even though his friend didn't think it was a big deal to look at Playboy, his friend took the magazines out of the room and put them in his own bedroom.

This man kept his integrity. He stayed away from sinful behavior.

Is his friend still collecting Playboy magazines? I dunno.

But his friend now knows that not all men think that looking at porn is acceptable. Maybe nobody ever told him that before...

Dads. You may not have noticed but your daughter just left the house wearing tight, stretchy pants with the word “Juicy” emblazoned across her backside. And yes. She bought them with the money you gave her for school lunches, allowance or back to school clothes. Congratulations. You are now the official sponsor of your teenage daughter’s butt.So what are your options? You can either:A) ask her to change and be ready to stand your ground orB) ignore and hope that every red blooded male she walks in front of doesn’t try to read her nether region.If you decide to give this one a pass, because the word itself seems benign or not sexual in nature, think about the lesson you are teaching your little girl. She is wearing a piece of clothing that attracts attention to a part of the body that is highly sexualized. Beyonce and J Lo gave the butt it’s come-back and your daughter is now a part of the home-town tour. How does it feel to know that men are staring at your thirteen year old’s rear end? If you don’t have a natural inclination to grab a shotgun right now your denial is worse than I thought. And what about the pedophile lurking at the mall. Your angel, the one you promised to protect the minute she drew breath, has now captured the unwanted attention of your local pervert. If you don’t think your community has them, please don’t hesitate to consult any number of online sites in which you can have instant access to sex offenders in your area. I would start here and here. They are everywhere and now have a front row seat to your daughter’s main attraction.It’s not just the pants. It’s the shirts that have a shoulder exposed and the skirt that looks like a napkin. It’s the teeny bikini and short shorts that all scream LOOK AT ME! I’M SEXY AND I KNOW IT! It is a silent invitation to make your daughter boy-bate yet you quietly acquiesce. You can’t make her change, right? All of her friends wear glittery half shirts that say I’M HOT so if everyone else is doing it….It’s just how kids are these days. What’s a dad to do? The truth is you stopped being the boss of her a long time ago and now just hope she doesn’t fight curfew and really doesn’t wear makeup at school. And maybe deep down, not knowing what’s going on with her is a little bit easier when your head hits the pillow at night.Wake up, dad.Our daughters need to understand that they are valued because of what they hold in their hearts. They must be encouraged to dress in a way that keeps attention on their beautiful faces so that their audience can focus on their words. And I bet you think she’s got some pretty important things to say; things that make you proud that she’s your girl. Teach her that her opinions matter. That she is more than what she wears and certainly she means more to you than what her peers think. Tell her that you love her enough to ask her to be different. When all of her friends wonder why she’s the only one wearing a one piece bathing suit at the pool, she can be confident that you have her best interest at heart. It may not be easy but does it matter if it’s right? She may struggle when she doesn’t get the same attention from the boys but you’ll teach her that that kind of attention isn’t about liking her for who she is. It’s about objectifying her outside without consideration for her inside. You’ll remind her that she is to be respected, that her body is a gift and should be treated as such. It will be important to remind her that she is loved.She needs to know that she is loved by you.When was the last time you hugged your baby girl? I mean really, truly held her so that she felt your heart beat. I know. She wears a bra now and rolls her eyes when you make a joke. She’s way cooler than you are and none of her friend’s dads bother them with hugs and kisses. They leave them alone to text and IM and don’t try to disengage the cell phone that has suddenly become an additional limb. Your daughter still needs to be held. She may be screaming for independence but she is still a child and needs to be protected and held within arms length. Giving her space and giving her free reign are two different things.Have you grabbed her for a quick trip to the store or brought her flowers just because? Did you make a date to take her to a movie. When was the last time you left a note on her bathroom mirror reminding her that she was the best thing you’ve ever done. Ever. When she disappointed you did you in turn tell her that you know she’ll make the right choice next time. Did you cancel that conference to make sure you made her soccer tryouts. She learned to kick a ball because of you and wants you to think she’s as good as you are.Talk to her. Don’t worry about being her friend. Just be. Let her know that you are available and a good listener. Ask her questions that have more to do with how her day was. Be prepared to engage even when the days seem to run together and time is short. Know her friends, her interests and her aspirations. Don’t rely on your wife to be the only one emotionally connected to your children-especially your daughters-and don’t leave it to her friends and classmates to be the singular voice of reason about all things life related.You are the first man she will love. You hold the key to her heart long before she marries and has her own children. She will make choices because of the father you have decided to be. Your little girl needs your love, compassion and affection and if you do not give it to her, if you withhold it from her because she seems to no longer need you, she will seek that closeness from someone else. Someone who may not value her. Who may not care about the goodness in her and exploit her need to be held, to be cared for, to feel wanted.You may not have until tomorrow to become the father she deserves. A sweet talking, smooth walking, four-years-her-senior-and-brags-about-his-conquests kinda boy may already be charming his way into her heart. And once he’s in, that means you’re out. It could be a group of friends that skip school because togetherness feels good. And so does smoking a joint and blowing off final exams. All because they made her feel connected and welcome-a part of a chosen family that sticks together and looks out for one another. If you lose her it will be a fight to get her back. The pole is shiny. The pole is escape and acceptance rolled up in pretty lies.I married a man like my father. My father told me I could be anything. He kissed the top of my head and hugged me even when I didn’t want him to. He showed up and cheered me on. He was fiercely protective and horribly intrusive when I needed my privacy. I could not get away with much and in the end, trying wasn’t worth the look of disappointment on his face, so I stayed out of trouble. So when it came time to fall in love and take a husband I chose what I knew. Someone who loved me to the end of the moon and back. Someone who was protective, caring and respectful. A man who would hug me even when I was not my best. I chose love because I had been loved in a way that gave me a sense of value and I hope you’ll do the same.Because she’s worth it.

If you stumble into sin, believer, don't give up; don't allow hopelessness to consume you, the deceitfulness of sin to blind you, or the weight of shame to defeat you. In the morning and evening prayer we pray, in part, the following: "I have set the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not fall" (Ps. 16:8). Christ is at your right hand, and this fall shall not be final for you; He took the final fall.

Yes, you may feel as though your worst day has cast a shadow over you that will never break to show the light of day, but, happily, you're wrong. God, in Christ, has declared you to be righteous (2 Cor. 5:21). Of the righteous we read: "for though they fall seven times, they will rise again" (Prov. 24:16NRSV). You will rise, friend, because Christ will lift you up. He took the ultimate fall in order that you should rise.

No one knows how many times I've had to encourage myself, thinking these thoughts, repeating the words of this post to myself. How I didn't play dead but arose from sin is a testimony to God's sheer grace. This post is as much an exhortation to myself as it is for anyone else experiencing difficulties or tragedies, whether self-caused or otherwise.

What do you do on the worst day of your life? Rise: not because you're inherently worthy of being named righteous. Rise because the one who took the ultimate fall declares you righteous. Rise because, though you sinned, though you deserve the fate of the wicked like the rest of us, there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Rom. 8:1).

But rise, too, because you neither honor the Lord nor serve the body of Christ by remaining fallen. Don't play dead, possum. In Christ you have been made alive (Col. 2:13). Play dead to your old, sinful nature or past. But in Christ, even when you sin, don't play dead -- don't remain defeated. In Him you are more than one who has conquered all spiritually negative realities (Rom. 8:37). "So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God" (Col. 3:1 NRSV).

You can avoid re-offending others by rising, and thinking healthy, spiritual thoughts: "whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things" (Phil. 4:8). All offenses begin with thoughts. We are instructed to destroy arguments raised up against the knowledge of God.

But the apostle Paul also added, "We destroy arguments and every proud obstacle raised up against the knowledge of God" (2 Cor. 10:5 NRSV, emphasis added). How many thoughts rise up against the reality of God's holy existence and righteous standards? We are taught to destroy such thoughts, to take them captive and make them obedient to Christ (2 Cor. 10:5).

I picture such thoughts as personified. I imagine capturing them, putting them into a prison cell, while Christ stands watch over them as Guard. If I fail to do so, then I may entertain such thoughts, have them affect me emotionally, and then obey them. When I obey them, I sin. "But one is tempted by one's own desire, being lured and enticed by it; then, when that desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and that sin, when it is fully grown, gives birth to death. Do not be deceived, my beloved" (James 1:15-16 NRSV).

But when you sin, no matter the degree, take it immediately to Christ. "If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9 NRSV). Don't let sin drag you into a hopeless, despondent, dejected place, out of which you feel impossible to escape. By His grace and forgiveness you rise up, and you keep rising up. You don't rise up only once. You will need to rise up every time you fall.

More than that, you will need to rise up every time you think about a past fall. Such thoughts about your past have a tendency to paralyze you emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. Paralyzed, you will play dead. No: in Christ you must rise up from the guilt of your past. Though you fall seven times a day, you will rise -- you must rise (Prov. 24:16).

The Lord foreknew every sin you would ever commit when He by grace through faith in Christ saved your soul. You don't ever take Him by surprise by any thought, desire, or action. In Christ He has already declared you holy, sanctified (set apart from the world and for His service and care), and righteous. You don't let Him down because you don't hold Him up.

You are becoming more and more like Christ (Rom. 8:29), slow as such may seem, and your heavenly Father understands completely all of your eccentricities, particularities, and unique qualities. This is how, you see, you keep on rising. Give your defeats to the One who defeated sin, death, and hell (1 Cor. 15:56-57; 1 John 3:8). Give your hopelessness to the God of hope (Rom. 15:13). Whatever you do, don't play dead, possum, but rise.